"Peace and Justice Sunday" 9/25/05 Isaiah 58:6-9a

This week we gather to proclaim that we are a people of peace and justice. Peace and justice are sisters or brothers of one another. Without peace we can't have justice. Without justice we can't have peace. Tonight I want to share some thoughts with you about what it means for us to be a people of peace, what it means for us to be a people of justice and how we live out those beliefs in our daily lives.

Peace - every Sunday in the prayers of the people we pray for peace in our heads, peace in our homes, peace in our communities, and peace in our world. Who among us doesn't want peace? And yet we only need to read the daily newspaper or turn on our TV's to realize we don't live in a world of peace. So how can we live out the call of Christ when he says: "Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called children of God." Peace, comes from the Hebrew word "shalom" and means wholeness- everything that builds a person up, a world up. Peace is two fold: peace within oneself and peace among people. I would suggest we must have peace within ourselves in order to be peacemakers in our world. What brings you peace? When do you most feel that sense of peace that you know God is at the center of your thoughts, feelings, and actions? Peace can be cultivated and nurtured. Things like saying the serenity prayer: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Meditation, prayer, yoga, affirmations, sitting in nature, being still with ourselves are all ways to begin to cultivate peace. Creating a peaceful environment in our homes helps us to take that peace with us into the world. As you nurture that inner peace you begin to know what breaks you peace, what takes your peace away. Avoid situations - people that take your peace away. Learn ways to practice conflict resolution with the people in your lives, at work, where you find yourself throughout the day. We can be peacemakers as we take our inner peace into the world. It takes courage to be a peacemakers

When Jesus said 'Blessed are the peacemakers’ - he went on to say bold words about turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and loving our enemies. Peacemaker are children of God because they know deep in their souls that they are loved and that every other person is a child of God -deserving of love, dignity, and value.

From there we move into living a life as a peacemaker who is a justice seeker. Doing justice was central to the life of Jesus and is a part of every spiritual path. To live as justice seekers means we can't rest until all people are free. Until all people have equal opportunities and access to what makes for healthy living. Until all people are treated fairly under the, law. Until all people have basic human rights. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." When a young boy at the GLCC is suffering because he came out -- it's our concern. When a sister in New Orleans has lost her home -- it's our concern. When a brother is killed in Iraq -- it's our concern. When a child is crying in Africa because she doesn't have food -- it's our concern. When our environment is being destroyed by pollution -- it's our concern. When one dog or cat is being neglected or abused -- it's our concern. We are woven together in a tapestry of compassion and concern for all living creation. Everyday we must live the words of Jesus: For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to me... in so far as you did it to the least of these by brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me." Matthew 25:35-37, &40

Everyday is really a peace and justice Sunday. We must have a heart that beats for peace. We must have a soul that lives for justice. In our thoughts, through our prayers, with our words, and by our actions we must be a people of peace and justice 24/7. Marian Wright Edelman said: "We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make, which, over time, add up to big differences we cannot foresee."